It Seems Meghan Markle’s Father Won’t Attend the Royal Wedding—How Did We Get Here?

Will Thomas Markle attend his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry? That's the question that no one seems to be able to answer—including Markle himself. The latest report says Markle won't travel to England, as he's reportedly going into surgery on Wednesday morning after experiencing chest pain. This marks a change from earlier in the day, when TMZ published an interview with Markle in which he claimed he'd still like to attend the May 19 nuptials. "I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle," he said.

It's been two days of public back-and-forth for the former lighting director, who said yesterday he was foregoing his public wedding role after recent allegations. The stress was so bad, he said, that it caused him to have a heart attack several days ago (though that has not been confirmed).

Kensington Palace, although not outright acknowledging the original TMZ post, said this in a statement on Monday: “This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding. She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.”

But wait—how did this whole mess even start?

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement was announced, paparazzi photos of Markle’s father soon surfaced online. They were what one might expect paparazzi snaps of a non-famous person would look like: mundane and, well, a little unflattering.

But soon, a different narrative started to emerge. Paparazzi captured Thomas Markle reading a book called Images of Britain: A Pictorial Journey Through History, which was instantly memed for how “heartwarming” and “pure” it was. Then, new photos showed him in clear view being fitted for a wedding suit. A few days later, another set of images caught him at an Internet café, looking at an article about Harry and Meghan’s engagement.

It was all so convenient—and, some reporters suspected, too convenient. This weekend, reports in the London Times and The Mail on Sunday said that Markle was not only staging the portraits with the paparazzi, but getting paid for them. The Times’s Valentine Low pointed out that “the pictures that have aroused suspicion were all taken by the same agency, Coleman-Rayner, which is run from Los Angeles by two British journalists.” Later, The Daily Mail published footage that seemingly showed Markle cooperating with photographers, and claimed a stand-in for the wedding-suit tailor was hired. Even worse, this footage came soon after Kensington Palace had asked photographers and journalists to “respect” Thomas Markle’s privacy and stop pursuing him.

“As we know, the media can take very unflattering photographs of people on their casual days and blow it way out of proportion. I said [to Thomas Markle], ‘You know, the world has no idea you’re getting in shape, doing healthy things,’ ” Grant said during an appearance on the British talk show Loose Women on Monday. “So I suggested it. There’s a lot of scrutiny that it was money-motivated; it was not.”

Monday afternoon, Markle’s TMZ report ricocheted across the internet. In it, he seems to admit to it all. “Thomas says the paparazzi agency approached him, offered him money . . . and he figured there was no harm in it and it would help recast his image,” TMZ wrote. “He admits the pics look ‘stupid and hammy.’ He says he was just going along with the paparazzi agency, which he now deeply regrets.” TMZ also said Markle would bow out of his wedding role.

As of now, Kensington Palace has not confirmed any details. But Meghan and Harry’s wedding, which is just a few days away, is suddenly engulfed in a tabloid storm. It might clear up. Meghan's father may make it to Windsor, or perhaps he won’t, and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, will walk her down the aisle in an unprecedented break with tradition. Whatever happens, what was shaping up to be a modern-day fairytale now resembles a real-life soap opera.